Prioritising the safety and wellbeing of children
This Child Protection Week, Catholic Early EdCare is reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding children and young people.
Our educators are dedicated to ensuring the introduction to the nursery is smooth and enjoyable for children and parents.
For babies and young children, their first experiences away from the familiarity of family and home can be overwhelming. Equally, parents can feel anxious about leaving children in the nursery for the first time.
Our educators are dedicated to ensuring the transition to the nursery is not only smooth, but also enjoyable for both children and their parents. In this article we will look at the process of getting settled in the nursery, and the high level of individual care our educators provide to babies and toddlers.
Orientation is a critical first step in the transition to the nursery. Before children officially start in the nursery, we arrange short visits as an opportunity for families to meet the educators and help children feel more comfortable and prepared for their first day. During this time, one or both parents, grandparents, and even siblings can come in and work closely with our educators as they begin to get to know the child, and understand their individual preferences, behaviours and personality traits.
Educators will work with families to learn everything from the child’s daily routine, to their bottle times, comfort items and even their favourite toys. We know it is important that children get enough sleep, so our educators understand each child’s individual sleep routine, and when they may need to rest through the day.
You can read more about our Sleep and Rest Policy here.
To provide consistent, respectful care, each child has a dedicated educator who is a constant presence in their day. There will also be a back-up educator for when their dedicated educator is away from the centre.
This helps children, and parents, establish a bond with their carer. It also allows educators to get to know and understand each child on a deeper level. As part of Catholic Early EdCare’s commitment to respectful care, this means that the same familiar person is there to help children play and learn, provide emotional support, and even change a nappy.
Parents can feel confident that they know the person providing care for their child, and can discuss the child’s needs in detail directly with them.
We know that when it comes to babies and young children, communication between educators and parents is key. We are always open and honest with parents and communicate clearly at the start and end of each day about what the child may need, or how they have been throughout the day.
A detailed log is kept outlining each child’s bottle times, snack and sleep routines. Parents can add their notes to this in the morning during drop-off and review the day’s activities in the afternoon at pick-up.
Getting babies and toddlers settled in the nursery is all about trust and communication between parents, educators and the children themselves. Our educators will start to form a bond with children during orientation, before they even spend their first day at the centre. Your child’s dedicated educator will be there to care for your child and answer any questions you may have.
The early years of education and care are the foundation for every child’s future. At Catholic Early EdCare, we help your child to grow and develop every day from six weeks of age. Find out more about our nursery and long day care on our website.
